Edgar J. Kaufmann

Edgar J. Kaufmann ( Edgar J. Kaufmann Sr.) ( born November 1, 1885 in Pittsburgh, † April 15, 1955 ) was an American businessman and patron. As a successful owner of a department store in his native town he had sufficient financial resources to can be built by renowned architects building. Both his designed by Frank Lloyd Wright country house Fallingwater in Pennsylvania, as well as its designed in California's Palm Spings by Richard Neutra home went as important buildings of the 20th century in the history of architecture.

Life

Edgar J. Kaufmann was the son of Morris Kaufmann and his wife Betty, nee Wolf, in Pittsburgh to the world. He first attended Shadyside Academy in his hometown before he enrolled as a student at Yale University. As part of his business training, he completed internships in various well-known department stores. These included the department store Marshall Field's in Chicago, the Galeries Lafayette in Paris and the branch of Karstadt in Hamburg. In 1909 he married his cousin Lillian Kaufmann, the daughter of Isaac and Emma Kaufmann. A year later, their son into the world, who was also named Edgar J. Kaufmann. 1913, at the age of 28, he took over the management of the department store founded in 1871 Kaufmann's in Pittsburgh. The department store was founded by the brothers immigrated from Germany Jacob and Isaac Kaufmann. Edgar J. Kaufmann led the department store until 1955. Moreover, he deeply engaged in social and cultural fields. He supported financially example, the Pittsburgh Light Opera Company and donated $ 1.5 million for the construction of the Civic Auditorium.

1934 Kaufmann learned the architect Frank Lloyd Wright know to which students belonged merchant's son. Between Edgar J. Kaufmann and Wright a close friendship that lasted until the death of businessman was born. Wright designed 1935-1937, a new office for businessman, which was located within its department store in Pittsburgh. The complete room amenities including wood paneling and furniture is now a so-called Period Room at the Victoria and Albert Museum in London. At the same time Wright was working on a weekend house for merchant in the Allegheny Mountains. The property is located between the villages of Mill Run and Ohiopyle and is crossed by the creek Bear Run. Kaufmann wanted a building overlooking a waterfall of the river, however, was persuaded by Wright to include with the waterfall in the building. Named after the Waterfall Fallingwater building served the Kaufmann family until 1963 as a weekend and vacation house before it made the son of businessman a museum open to the public.

The Austrian-born Richard Neutra, a former employee of Frank Lloyd Wright, designed a further built on behalf of Edgar J. Kaufmann house. In 1946, the putative Kaufmann House, or Kaufmann Desert House building which served the Kaufmann family as a holiday house in Palm Springs, California. Numerous glass walls Neutra was referring in his design, as well as Wright at Fallingwater, the environment in its plans with a. The building is one of Neutra's most famous work and is not accessible to the public.